Sensitivity quantification of jointed plain concrete pavement mechanistic-empirical performance predictions

Abstract

This paper focuses on quantitative and qualitative sensitivity analyses of various jointed plain concrete pavement ( JPCP) mechanistic-empirical design scenarios. Two base cases of JPCP types were utilized: (1) new construction on granular base (new JPCP case), and (2) both new construction/reconstruction on stabilized foundations or rehabilitation on underlying asphalt/concrete layers ( JPCP over stiff foundation case). Each base case was designed for three traffic levels in five climate zones to evaluate the sensitivity of predicted distresses using the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTOs) mechanistic-empirical pavement design guide (MEPDG) procedure. Sensitivity is characterized by a design limit normalized sensitivity index (NSI), which can be interpreted as the percentage change in predicted distress relative to the design limit caused by a given percentage change in the design input. For JPCP types and distresses, the sensitivities of the design inputs for the Portland cement concrete (PCC) surface layer were the most important. The findings suggests that more caution is required to select PCC slab design features and PCC material properties in JPCP design using MEPDG and DARWin-MEâ"¢ for designing cost-effective and sustainable concrete pavements. Keywords AASHTO, concrete, design, pavement, sensitivity analyses Disciplines Civil and Environmental Engineering | Construction Engineering and ManagementComments NOTICE: This is the author's version of a work that was accepted for publication in Construction and Building Materials. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in Construction and Building Materials, 43, (2013) Reference to this paper should be made as follows: Ceylan, H., Kim, S., Gopalakrishnan, K., Schwartz, C. W., and Reference to this paper should be made as follows: Ceylan, H., Kim, S., Gopalakrishnan, K., Schwartz, C. W., and . "Sensitivity Quantification of Jointed Plain Concrete Pavement (JPCP) " Construction and Building Materials, Vol. 43, Abstract:This paper focuses on quantitative and qualitative sensitivity analyses of various jointed plain concrete pavement (JPCP) mechanistic-empirical design scenarios. Two base cases of JPCP types were utilized: (1) new construction on granular base (new JPCP case), and (2) both new construction/reconstruction on stabilized foundations or rehabilitation on underlying asphalt/concrete layers (JPCP over stiff foundation case). Each base case was designed for three traffic levels in five climate zones to evaluate the sensitivity of predicted distresses using the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) mechanisticempirical pavement design guide (MEPDG) procedure. Sensitivity is characterized by a de...

Alternative Source of Climate Data for Mechanistic–Empirical Pavement Performance Prediction

“…New flexible pavements and new JPCPs were analyzed. The pavement structures, traffic loads, material properties, and other inputs for the analysis corresponded to the medium traffic cases for the sensitivity analyses described in Schwartz et al (12) and Ceylan et al (13).…”

“…ated the sensitivity of MEPDG performance predictions to traffic, material, and other design input parameters, but few comprehensive sensitivity studies of the effects of climate on performance predictions have been performed (2)(3)(4)(5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14). Nearly all sensitivity analyses of MEPDG performance predictions to climate inputs to date have simply compared results using one weather station to results using another (15,16).…”

Evaluation of climate data sources and investigation of performance prediction models for mechanistic-empirical pavement designs

“…The overall survey results suggest that the joint spacing input for rigid pavement design varied between 15 to 20 feet, a significant spread. Multiple studies have previously reported joint spacing to be one of the most sensitive inputs to predicted pavement distresses (Ceylan, et al, 2013b;, so additional analysis was performed in this study to determine the impact of joint spacing on thickness and achieved reliability. Three values of joint spacing (15, 17, and 20 feet) were considered.…”

Effects of Thermal Conductivity of Concrete on Jointed Plain Concrete Pavement’s Performance and Design Slab Thickness

“…Volume 5, 2024, Pages 840-848 Proceedings of 60th Annual Associated Schools of Construction International Conference most research revolved around the mechanical properties including compressive strength, elastic modulus, and modulus of rupture (MOR) and thermal properties including coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) (Sabih 2016), (Vandenbossche 2011), (Ceylan 2013). There are a few works on the analysis of the effect of thermal stress and coefficient of thermal expansion on concrete pavements (Mackiewicz 2014), (Shin 2011) but not much research is available on the effects of thermal conductivity (TC) on the performance of the JPCP system (Mirnezami 2023), (Panchmatia 2014), (Kodide 2010), , (Cavalline and Morrison 2018).…”